50591: How can he advise someone who is falling short with regard to prayer?

How can I call someone to pray who, even though he knows that it is obligatory, does not do it sometimes? I would like you to tell me some simple phrases that have to do with this question, and some phrases that will warn of punishment and encourage seeking reward.

Praise be to Allaah.

You can remind this person and advise him by explaining the
ruling on not praying, and on not praying in congregation in the mosque, and
explain how the early generations of Muslims were with regard to prayer.

The ruling on not praying:

In a number of questions we have explained that the one who
does not pray is a kaafir who is beyond the pale of Islam; no good deeds
will be accepted from him on the Day of Resurrection; and his marriage
contract with his wife must be annulled if she does pray. This one who does
not pray should also understand that any meat slaughtered by him cannot be
eaten; and (if he dies) he cannot be washed, have the funeral prayer offered
for him, or be buried in the Muslim graveyard.

It was narrated from Samurah ibn Jundub (may Allah be pleased
with him) that the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon
him) mentioned a dream that he had seen and said: “Last night two people
came to me and said, ‘Let’s go,’ so I went with them. We came to a man who
was lying down, with another man standing over him, holding a big rock. He
threw the rock at the man’s head, smashing it. The rock rolled away, and the
one who had thrown it followed it, and picked it up. By the time he came
back to the man, his head had been restored to its former state. Then he
(the one who had thrown the rock) did the same as he had done before. I said
to (my two companions), ‘Subhaan Allaah! What is this?’ They said to me:
Move on…”

At the end of the hadeeth, he (blessings and peace of Allah
be upon him) said: “They said to me: ‘The first man whom you saw with his
head being smashed with the rock, is the man who learned the Qur’aan then
abandoned it, and he went to sleep, neglecting the obligatory prayers.’”

Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 6640

Muhammad ibn Nasr al-Marwazi said:

I heard Ishaaq – i.e., ibn Raahawayh – say: It was narrated
in a saheeh report from the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon
him) that the one who does not pray is a kaafir. It was the opinion of the
scholars from the time of the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon
him) that the one who deliberately does not pray, without any excuse, until
the time for the prayer ends, is a kaafir. The time for the prayer ending
means delaying Zuhr until sunset and Maghrib until sunrise.

Ta‘zeem Qadr as-Salaah, 2/929

For the ruling on the one who does not pray, please see the
answers to questions no. 7864,
5208 and
2182

With regard to praying in congregation in the mosque:

Just as the prayer is what differentiates between the Muslim
and the kaafir, praying in congregation is the sign that differentiates
between the believer and the hypocrite. The Sahaabah (may Allah be pleased
with them) regarded the one who did not attend prayer in congregation as a
hypocrite whose hypocrisy was known.

Shaykh Saalih al-Fawzaan (may Allah preserve him) was asked:

I am a young man, not married, and I pray but not
continually, i.e., I do not always offer the prayer on time, and sometimes I
miss the prayers for a whole day, or I do them all together. What is the
Islamic ruling on that?

He replied:

The Muslim is required to offer the prayers regularly on
time, with the congregation of Muslims. It is not permissible to delay the
prayer until its time is over. Allah, may He be exalted, says
(interpretation of the meaning): “Verily, the prayer is enjoined on the
believers at fixed hours” [an-Nisa’ 4:103], i.e., it is enjoined at
specific times, at which it should be offered. According to a report: “Allah
has deeds at night that He does not accept during the day, and deeds during
the day that He does not accept at night.” Delaying the prayer until the
time for it is over is neglecting it. Allah, may He be exalted, says
(interpretation of the meaning): “Then, there has succeeded them a
posterity who have given up As-Salat (the prayers) (i.e. made their Salat
(prayers) to be lost, either by not offering them or by not offering them
perfectly or by not offering them in their proper fixed times, etc.) and
have followed lusts. So they will be thrown in Hell, except those who
repent…” [Maryam 19:59, 60].

Putting two prayers together is not permissible, unless there
is a legitimate shar‘i excuse at the time of one of them, such as putting
Zuhr together with ‘Asr, or Maghrib together with ‘Isha’. But putting the
prayers of an entire day together is not permissible and prayers are not
valid if done in this manner.

Al-Muntaqa min Fataawa al-Fawzaan,
5/56, 57

You will find the evidence for prayer in congregation being
obligatory in the answers to questions no.
120 and
8918.

With regard to how the early generations of Muslims were
with regard to praying in congregation in the mosque:

They regarded it as something of the utmost importance, to
which they paid a great deal of attention and were keen to offer the prayer
in congregation in the mosque even if they had excuses not to do so.

Wakee‘ ibn al-Jarraah said, narrating from al-A‘mash
Sulaymaan ibn Mahraan: al-A‘mash was nearly seventy years old but he never
missed the first takbeer.

It was narrated from Muhammad ibn Khafeef that he had a pain
in his side that, when it affected him, prevented him from moving. But when
the call to prayer was given, he would be carried on a man’s back. It was
said to him: Why don’t you take it easy on yourself? He said: If you hear
(the words of the adhaan), Hayya ‘ala as-salaah (come to prayer) and
you do not see me in the row (of worshippers), then look for me in the
graveyard.

‘Aamir ibn ‘Abdillah ibn az-Zubayr heard the mu’adhdhin when
he was dying and he said: Hold my hand (and take me to the prayer). It was
said: You are sick. He said: I can hear the caller of Allah; should I not
respond to him? So they took him by the hand and he joined the imam in
praying Maghrib; he prayed one rak‘ah then he died.

For more information see the answer to question no.
47123 – very important.